Tag Archives: gravesite

The Airmount Grave Shelter, also known as the Hope Family Grave Shelter, is a Greek Revival structure located in the Airmount Cemetery near Thomasville, Alabama. It was built in 1853 by John Hope. The unusual splayed eaves and vaulted, or “compass” int …

Elodie Todd Dawson (1844-1881) was a staunch Confederate supporter and sister-in-law of Abraham Lincoln. Her husband, Col. N.H.R. Dawson (1829-1895), was a Confederate colonel who later was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Education. He was also a member …

William J. Hardee (1815 – 1873) graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1838. He served in Florida during the Second Seminole War and was a veteran of the Mexican War. Hardee published Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics for the Exercise …

Jeremiah Austill is known as the Paul Revere of Clarke County. As a teenager, he volunteered to make a dangerous night ride to Mt. Vernon following the Creek War attack on Ft. Sinquefield. He was also a hero of the famed Canoe Fight on the Alabama Rive …

Around midnight on October 15, 1854, the four-story brick Howard College building (then located near the Siloam Baptist Church in Marion) caught fire. Housed in the building were 140 or more students and facility. The fire begun in the basement under t …

On February 18, 1965, the 26 year old Marion native, Jimmie Lee Jackson, was shot by an Alabama State Trooper while participating in a civil rights march in Marion. He later died as a result of infection caused by the gun shot. His death was one of th …

Born in Rosebud in 1874, Rosa Young graduated valedictorian from Payne University in Selma. She opened a private school with seven students, which grew in three years to 215 students. With the help of the Lutheran Church, Young founded thirty rural sch …

William Rufus King (1786-1853) was a founder of Selma, AL and Vice President of the United States. He is buried in Old Live Oak Cemetery at Selma. At his gravesite is a historical marker that contains the following details about the life of William Ruf …

About This Website

Welcome to rural southwest Alabama. This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama's Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE HOMES INCLUDED ARE PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE DRIVE BY ONLY.